


On a Cliff's Edge

by katiemcgrath



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Emotional, Emotional Baggage, Emotional Theo Raeken, Fluff and Angst, Heavy Angst, Living Together, M/M, Makeup Sex, Sad, soft liam dunbar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-07 21:35:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,324
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12241047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiemcgrath/pseuds/katiemcgrath
Summary: Theo heartbroken after his terrible past, doesn't know how to handle emotional situations in his relationship with his lover Liam.  Liam only wants to take care of Theo and make him feel worthy of his affections./or/Theo and Liam have their first fight after moving in together and it does not go well.





	On a Cliff's Edge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ciara F](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Ciara+F).



"Is that it? Are you done?"

Theo just shakes his head and Liam can't seem to breathe.  His lungs feel heavy around his heart. He can't handle the anger between them and leaves the house, storming out the front door, slamming the door after him, entering the night. 

Theo's eyes track Liam as he leaves, but Theo doesn't make a move to follow behind him, his anger still simmering, clawing at his well-practiced control. He steps back and stumbles, falling upon the couch, running over the past hour in his mind.  A mind-numbing, endless cycle.  Finally he goes upstairs to their bedroom, taking off his shirt and dropping it into the laundry basket.   He lays down on their bed and turns over to face the clock, watching the minutes pass by as he waits for Liam to return. When the minute hand goes over sixty minutes, Theo realizes that Liam wasn't coming home any time soon.  He stands up worried that Liam could get in trouble or get hurt and grabs the top shirt in their shared bureau.  Throwing on the shirt, he runs down the stairs, grabbing his car keys on the way out the door. 

Theo starts the car and pulls out of the driveway, muttering to himself about all the spots around town that Liam could be. The restaurant of their first official date suddenly comes to mind. He drives past the speed limit, hoping Liam is there, his hands shaking on the steering wheel as he approaches the diner.  Parking the car, he rushes in and looks around, but Liam's not at their table.  Theo gets back into his car, deciding on Liam's old high school lacrosse field, where Liam sometimes would go to practice and release some stress.  The field is empty and the lights turned off, so Theo turns the car around, just driving around town.  At a stop sign, he catches Liam's scent and Theo quickly pulls the car over to the curb and is about to get out, until he moves to open the door and Liam's scent becomes concentrated in the car.  Theo looks down at his shirt, recognizing that the t-shirt he had put on was Liam's.  Overcome with guilt and sadness, Theo rests his head on the steering wheel, just breathing in Liam.

 _Where is he?_   Theo turns his head to the side, looking out the window at the calm of the night.  The stars were shining bright.  _Stars. Star-gazing. Date night._ He recalls that time he had taken Liam stargazing one night at the edge of a nearby cliff, where the whole city could be seen below and all the stars could be seen above.  Liam had told Theo that he loved him for the first time on that date.  Theo ignites the truck again and drives to the location, wondering what he could say to Liam, if he did find Liam at their spot.

The car parked at the bottom of the hill, Theo treks up to the edge of the cliff where he finds Liam sitting on the edge, sniffling as he wipes away tears.  He wonders to himself if he can hear his own heart breaking, or if that's just his imagination.  Theo sits down gently next to Liam and waits to see if Liam is going to be the one to break the silence.  When it becomes apparent that Theo has to make the first move he just lets out a soft "Hey."

After a moment, Liam responds with a whispered "Hi." They lapse back into silence. 

Theo tired of everything that's passed, pleads with Liam.  "Please just come back home with me."

Liam nods and Theo stands up, offering a hand to Liam which he takes.  Theo pulls Liam up and they walk back to the car, Theo leading Liam by his hand.  They get into the truck and Theo starts the drive back to their house.  The silence is powerful.  Theo's thoughts are racing a mile a minute, he finally understands the right thing to do.  It might hurt, but it's the right path. 

The silent lovers finally reach their home and enter the dark house. Liam tries to escape to their bedroom, fearful of the conversation to follow.

Theo tugs the back of Liam's grey shirt, "Wait."

Turning to face Theo, Liam mentally prepares himself for the events about to unfold and nods once to Theo, his lips in a frustrated, tight line.

"I'm sorry."

Liam can't help but let a look of complete surprise pass over his face.  He had never in a million years would have thought Theo, stubborn Theo, would've been the first to apologize.

"I'm sorry," Theo repeats. "Maybe this is wrong.  Maybe we were wrong.  Maybe this all was a bad idea.  Maybe we should have never moved in together.  Maybe we should've never kissed...."  Theo gets quiet for a moment, wondering if he should really say the next idea out loud, the thought, if brought to life, would break both their hearts.  "Maybe we shouldn't be in love."

The blow back is detrimental.  Straight to the heart, to the gut, to his ability to breathe.  A shaky inhale of air is barely enough.  

Theo kept going.  "I'm sorry. Maybe if everything between us never happened, then maybe I wouldn't have done this. I didn't mean to ruin everything I've ever touched."  Theo reaches a hand out, seemingly to stroke Liam's cheek, but midway he realizes what his treacherous heart and his treacherous hand had done and recoils as if he had touched a fire.  "I didn't mean to ruin you; I didn't mean to cause you pain."

Another shaky inhale, this time from Theo, as he prepares to say his last few words.  "I'll always love you Liam, but I'll never be a good enough person to be with you. "   _This is the right thing.  The right thing. This is the right thing.  Oh please, please, please let this be the right thing._

Over the moments he's spent with Liam, Theo can easily sense when Liam's anger grows and he can feel it now, as he ends his final words.  He finishes with Liam's hands in fists, his claws breaking the skin causing crimson blood to drip to the flood.

It is deafening.

The blood is so loud.  It's so loud in the empty house, it's so loud in the forced silence, it's so loud in the tension between them.  

The anger boils at the edge of the surface, leaking alongside each drip of his blood, until Liam finally explodes.  Theo physically winces when the eruption comes. 

"How could you say that?  About us? About yourself?"  Liam this time takes a huge breath of the electrified air.  "Love isn't pain free. Love is falling down, scraping your knees, but picking yourself up to try everything over again.  It's understanding.  It's knowing that just allowing yourself to be loved and to be in love is entirely selfless.  Theo I know you care so much, not just about me, but about everyone.  Your love for me is one of the most selfless actions I've ever seen you take on and I love you for that.  You've changed so much.  I love you for you."  

Theo feels like he's falling again, this time terrified, knowing there's no one standing at the bottom of the cliff, waiting to catch him as he peers over the edge.

_Is this the right thing?_

'I love you, Theo."

_Please let him believe me._

"I love you."

_The right thing._

"I love you."

_Please._

"I love you." This one almost a whisper, barely heard between them.

_Why can't I be strong for him?_

"I love you." This one barely slipping out from Liam's lips, so soft, so gracious.

Liam holds his hand out to Theo to be taken.  Theo's treacherous hand slides into Liam's palms, allowing him to be led upstairs, to the comfort of their room.

**Author's Note:**

> the next chapter just gets angstier, be prepared. let me know what you guys think and if I should continue this, but I hope you guys like it!


End file.
